past perfect

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past perfect

The past perfect continuous is formed with had been and the -ingform of the verb:

I had been finishing the workShe had been going.

The past perfect is used in the same way as the present perfect, but it refers to a time in the past, not the present.

We use the past perfect tense:

for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past:

When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.
She didn’t want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.

We normally use the past perfect continuous for this:

She didn’t want to move. She had been living in Liverpool all her life.
Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.

for something we had done several times up to a point in the past and continued to do after that point:

He was a wonderful guitarist. He had been playing ever since he was a teenager.
He had written three books and he was working on another one.
I had been watching the programme every week, but I missed the last episode.

We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:

They had been staying with us since the previous week.
I was sorry when the factory closed. I had worked there since I left school.
I had been watching that programme every week sinceit started, but I missed the last episode.

when we are reporting our experience and including up to the (then) present:

My eighteenth birthday was the worst day I had ever had.
I was pleased to meet George. I hadn’t met him before, even though I had met his wife several times.

for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of reporting:

I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.
Teresa wasn’t at home. She had gone shopping.

We use the past perfect to talk about the past in conditions, hypotheses and wishes:

I would have helped him ifhe had asked.
It was very dangerous. What ifyou had got lost?I wishI hadn’t spent so much money last month.

Comments

The form 'have been' is the present perfect of 'be' and can be used in many ways. It can be followed by an adjective or by a noun, as in 'I have been a teacher for twenty years', for example. It is a normal verb form.

'Have been' can also be used as an auxiliary - as part of certain verb forms. For example, we might say 'She has been living there for twenty years' (present perfect continuous) or 'She has been sacked from her job' (present perfect passive).

We recognise 'married' as an adjective through the context. It is possible for the verb 'marry' to be used in a passive form (example: 'They were married by the archbishop himself') but this would require a very clear context.

For completed actions in the past we use the past simple. In your examples, 'went' is correct.

We use the past perfect only when there is another point of reference in the past and we want to relate the action to this point of reference. We would not use the past perfect without this. Thus, your first example would not be correct as it stands; it would need some other time reference. For example, you might say:

I had gone to the office before she woke up. ['before she woke up' is the second time reference - another time in the past; the first action is before this and references it]

I had gone to the office early that morning. [part of a narrative in which all actions are in the past; the 'had gone' takes place in this past time frame before some subsequent event later in the past]

Hello Sir
It is alright to say: I have had lunch. I have just had lunch.
Could I use this in past perfect? eg. I had had lunch. I had just had lunch.
or should I use another phrase? eg I was hungry.
THANK YOU.